Dados do Trabalho

Título

HEALTHINESS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE GUMMY CANDY MARKET: A COMPARATIVE LABEL ANALYSIS IN BRAZIL, GERMANY AND JAPAN

Introdução

Traditional gummy candy comprises sucrose, glucose syrup, gelling agents, flavorings, colorants, and acids. However, consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable formulations is growing. Currently, the United States dominates the USD 23 billion gummy candy market. Regionally, it is led by Germany in Europe, China and Japan in Asia, and Brazil in South America. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate gummy candy labels containing seals and/or fruits in the Brazilian (BR), German (DE), and Japanese (JP) markets.

Material e Métodos

The product search was conducted from January to April 2024 on an online store with domains in these countries using filters related to gummy candies, and delivery available to Brazil. The searches yielded 184, 42, and 341 products, respectively. Only 5, 28, and 70 met the study requirements, comprising only 18% of the market available to Brazil. The following product data were collected: country of manufacture, presence of seals and fruits, ingredient list, and price.

Resultados e Discussão

The main manufacturing countries were Japan (43.7%), Germany (22.3%), and Finland (9.7%), with Brazil ranking 6th. Gelatin (59.2%) was the main gelling agent, followed by starch (23.3%), pectin (5.8%), and wheat flour (5.8%). Prices ranged from USD 0.86 to USD 27.88 per 100 g, averaging USD 3.71. Furthermore, only 15.5% of products presented seals, including vegan (50.0%) and vegetarian (37.5%), and combinations of vegan and organic (6.3%), and organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and environmentally friendly (6.3%). Moreover, fruit juice was present in all products, ranking 1st to 18th in ingredient lists, with the 4th position being the most frequent (22.3%).

Conclusão

Despite the inclusion of fruits in this type of product, the gummy candy market available in Brazil is still far behind a market seeking healthiness and sustainability.